Famous Explorers Quiz

Accomplishment	Explorer
Credited with discovering the 'New World' of the Americas
Discovered the sea route to India
Initiated the first successful attempt to circumnavigate the Earth
The first Englishman to sail around the world and live to tell about it
The continents of North and South America derive their name from this man
Explored Florida looking for the fountain of youth
Discovered Newfoundland and claimed it for England
Discovered the Grand Canyon while trying to find the 7 cities of gold
Discovered and claimed Canada for France
The first European to discover the Mississippi River
Spanish conquistador who initiated the conquest of the Aztec Empire
Danish navigator who claimed Alaska for Russia
Explored much of northeastern North America - died when his crew mutinied
Recorded the first circumnavigation of New Zealand

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There are 56 comments for this game.
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Famous Explorers Quiz

by Derek

Created Jun 5, 2008 in History
Featured Jun 5, 2008
Game Plays 130,572

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	Bob:	Sep 16th, 2008 at 01:21 GMT		10 points
	Is it possible to have a quiz on famous ship wrecks?

	thaumaturge:	Nov 23rd, 2008 at 10:57 GMT		3 points
	The american continents were almost certainly not naimed after Amerigo Vespucci. The name derives instead from Richard Ameryck who was the chief investor in John Cabot's 1497 expedition to the Americas.

	magister:	Dec 19th, 2008 at 01:37 GMT		18 points
	@thaumaturge: Do you have a citation for that?

	mproviz8r:	Dec 25th, 2008 at 00:39 GMT		9 points
	Pizarro? Balboa? Lewis and Clark?

	springmom:	Jan 1st, 2009 at 06:33 GMT		-2 points
	what about Marquette and Joliet?

	Etheridge2:	Feb 1st, 2009 at 02:05 GMT		1 point
	lot of big names missing

	rb357:	Feb 6th, 2009 at 23:20 GMT		13 points
	Hmm, "Francis Drake" should probably be accepted as well as "Sir Francis Drake"

	Michael:	Feb 26th, 2009 at 17:45 GMT		8 points
	Too many other important names missing from this list, Pizarro, Cabral, Dias, Polo etc.

	mark Bigica:	Mar 10th, 2009 at 01:32 GMT		14 points
	"thaumaturge" is correct. I am currently a history major in college and I have also been taught that it has been a large historical mistake to say that the Americas were named after Amerigo Vespucci. When lands are named after an explorer or individual who discovered them, typically their last name is used. For example, Columbia is named after Christopher Columbus. If we were named after Amerigo Vespucci, we would be called Vespucciland, or something along those lines. Richard Ameryk (no "c") is almost definitely where the Americas earned their name. As "thaumaturge" stated, Ameryk was associated with John Cabot's explorations especially to the Americas.

	Brii:	Apr 2nd, 2009 at 20:05 GMT		0 points
	Thank you 8th grade Social Studies! :D

	AtomicIce:	Apr 2nd, 2009 at 23:54 GMT		0 points
	The Ivy League school is named after the explorer? ;) There seems to be plenty of room for a Famous Explorers II quiz, though.

	aerodynamic:	Apr 3rd, 2009 at 21:31 GMT		14 points
	No Leif Ericson? That guy is my hero!

	Sparky:	May 3rd, 2009 at 16:36 GMT		16 points
	^ Agreed, disappointed by the lack of Leif Erikson - and astonished that Marco Polo isn't on there =0

	Tank:	May 20th, 2009 at 19:28 GMT		11 points
	Drake wasn't trying to circumnavigate the earth, it was more of a trying-to-escape-the-Spanish thing with him.

	Sporcrates:	May 20th, 2009 at 20:06 GMT		-1 points
	Why is Cabeza de Vaca not here?

	Kitnaz:	May 20th, 2009 at 20:48 GMT		5 points
	Marco Polo!?!? :O I've been to his childhood house in Venice :D

	bucknaked:	May 29th, 2009 at 01:59 GMT		8 points
	de Soto, what did he do? He discovered the Mississippi. Oh ya, like they wouldn't have found that anyway.

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	lalalala:	Jun 29th, 2009 at 18:38 GMT		4 points
	Verrazzano! Agreed, there is definitely room for a sequel.

	pa_dutch:	Aug 7th, 2009 at 18:10 GMT		4 points
	How about some famous non-European ones like Zhang He, Ibn Battuta, and Hotu Matu'a?

	icing:	Oct 17th, 2009 at 22:38 GMT		1 point
	Damn! It's been a long time since grade school Social Studies ... there are more holes in my head than Swiss cheese!

	Juan:	Nov 26th, 2009 at 08:06 GMT		15 points
	I've never been convinced by the Ameryk theory as to the origin of the name. That always came off to me as an example of people believing the less popular explanation just to go against the grain. The sources in favor of Vespucci's role are much more convincing in my personal opinion.

	davepro14:	Dec 22nd, 2009 at 23:15 GMT		2 points
	Agreed regarding Zheng He. There were several great Chinese voyagers of the Ming Dynasty that could be included!

	horses:	Jan 9th, 2010 at 14:09 GMT		1 point
	juan: the sources in favour of it are all old, and the fact that surnames were used for naming places, other than with royals really counts against it. i'm don't completely buy the ameryk story but it seems to me that the vespucci story is a lot less believeable.

	phibbyfan:	Jan 18th, 2010 at 07:35 GMT		2 points
	Yes, Battuta and Leif Erickson should be listed!

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	fecky:	Feb 14th, 2010 at 16:38 GMT		1 point
	Richard Ameryk- Welsh! Weeeeeey

	Brii:	Feb 19th, 2010 at 02:41 GMT		15 points
	What about Dora? (:

	ensiform:	Mar 28th, 2010 at 15:04 GMT		5 points
	Dangit, I kept writing de Gama

	geronimo95:	Apr 14th, 2010 at 16:48 GMT		0 points
	a sloppily put together quiz. francis drake doesnt register as an answer but drake does?

	spolonsky:	Apr 26th, 2010 at 03:46 GMT		0 points
	pesky portuguese, why "da gama" instead of "de gama"? Also, regarding Sir Francis Drake, if you get in the habit of putting in last names only you won't have that problem.

	flaming_milka:	May 14th, 2010 at 22:28 GMT		4 points
	Years would have been nice.

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	JimmyJazz25B:	Jul 30th, 2010 at 23:48 GMT		5 points
	Circumnavigated New Zealand huh? Bet that took all week.

	tdawg05:	Sep 20th, 2010 at 02:57 GMT		4 points
	I have never even heard of Richard Ameryk, and all through school I learned the Americas were named after Amerigo Vespucci

	unabstainium:	Oct 21st, 2010 at 06:54 GMT		-2 points
	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Amerike "Richard Amerike (or Ameryk) (c. 1445–1503) was a wealthy English born merchant, royal customs officer and sheriff of Welsh descent. He was the principal owner of John Cabot's ship Matthew during his voyage of exploration to North America in 1497.[1] It has been speculated that "America" is derived from his name, owing to his sponsorship of the voyages to Newfoundland, rather than from Amerigo Vespucci, the explorer and map-maker.[2][3]"

	unabstainium:	Oct 21st, 2010 at 07:00 GMT		1 point
	Great idea for a quiz; could be more complete...

	KevinThompson:	Jan 6th, 2011 at 09:41 GMT		0 points
	not very well done - I put Gama, De Gama and Da Gama and none of them registered - also put de soto and desoto but it didnt take it until I put Hernando De Soto. Plus you are missing a TON!!

	Penguinlover7:	Jan 27th, 2011 at 21:54 GMT		0 points
	I agree with many others there are many other explorers such as Pizarro, Diaz, Eanes, etc. Also, there are great explorers outside of the "European Invasion" and colonial periods. Great game though. Coronado kept me from a perfect score

	Beatlezfann:	Mar 17th, 2011 at 22:04 GMT		0 points
	If nicholas cage discovered cibola then why couldnt coronado? he must have really sucked.